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Three injured in 2 weekend motorcycle crashes

Three people were hospitalized Saturday in two separate Pierce County motorcycle crashes.

The first crash left Ellsworth resident Eric S. Gilbertson, 36, and passenger Danielle R. Gilbertson, 30, injured after they crashed on County Road UU and 100th Avenue in the town of Maiden Rock.

According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Office, the crash, reported at 3:12 p.m., occurred while Eric Gilbertson was negotiating a curve and his 2005 Harley-Davidson went off the road. Both riders were taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing by Plum City/Maiden Rock ambulance.

The second crash occurred at 6:22 p.m. on Highway 35 at 945th Street in Diamond Bluff, where motorcyclist Mark Hawkinson collided with a deer. According to the sheriff's office, the 69-year-old from Lauderdale, Minn., was northbound when the deer entered the roadway and struck Hawkinson's 1998 Honda.

Deputies said Hawkinson was complaining of a leg injury after the crash. He was also taken to Mayo Clinic Health System in Red Wing for undisclosed injuries. Red Wing EMS and Ellsworth first responders assisted deputies on the scene.